The FAA has had 22 short-term extensions of its funding bill which expired in 2007. 

Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) could face a tough race for reelection when he is up in 2014, a newspaper in his home state suggested Monday.

Rockefeller, who recently was at the middle of the fight over funding for the Federal Aviation Administration, could be in trouble because of a combination of factors, including his age and President Obama's unpopularity in West Virginia, an op-ed in the Charleston Daily Mail said.

"In the 2014 election, U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia will be a five-term Democratic incumbent with an estimated wealth of over $80 million," the op-ed said.   

"Life is good," the paper continued. "Yet Rockefeller has reason to be at least concerned about his chances, should he decide to run for re-election. A Public Policy Poll out this week shows Rockefeller with a 45 percent approval rating. That's not bad considering the approval rating for Congress as a whole is in the teens or lower, depending on the poll. But PPP also found that 42 percent of voters disapprove of him."

Your morning transportation speed-read:

Ford is eyeing China for its electric cars.

Used-car scams are gaining popularity in the rough economic climate.

The oldest running car in the world is up for sale.

German auto manufacturer Mercedes-Benz is adding a coupe to its lineup.

The controversy over Solyndra comes as support for a long-proposed infrastructure bank is finally gaining momentum.

The union for air traffic controllers reacted strongly Friday to a suggestion from former White House economic adviser Peter Orszag that the proposed advanced navigation system for the national aviation system could be privatized.

Orszag, who was director of the Office of Management and Budget until his resignation from the White House in 2010, said in an op-ed in this week that the private sector might be able to help get the proposed NextGen navigation up and running faster than the federal government with Republicans in control of the House.

But the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said Friday that the system would be in place faster if Congress passed a long-term authorization bill for the Federal Aviation Administration.

"Americans put their trust in our highly skilled, professional and experienced federal air traffic controllers to get them where they need to go, safely and soundly," NATCA President Paul Rinaldi said in a statement. "And they should have confidence when they do: our nation’s air traffic controllers have a near-perfect safety record.

"So when former Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag opined … that our air traffic control system should be privatized, we must respond," he continued. "Orszag, and others who share his view, are advocating a dangerous and misguided solution for improving what is already the world’s safest and most efficient system."

Your morning transportation speed-read:

New York City subway riders may soon be able to use their cellphones on some train-station platforms.

Mobile devices are using more Wi-Fi in airports than computers.

Swedish automaker Saab has avoided bankruptcy.

A former Saturn auto plant in Tennessee could get new life.

President Obama upped the political ante over the jobs bill Thursday, flying to Northern Kentucky to target Republican leaders personally.

Mitsubishi Motors North America is pulling into K Street as it prepares for the launch of a new electric car.

The company has for the first time hired a lobbying firm, K&L Gates, to represent its interests in Washington.

K&L will work for Mitsubishi on “corporate average fuel economy standards,” the firm disclosed in a lobbying registration. 

“[K&L] Gates will assist us in educating administration, federal agencies, and Congress on our activities in the U.S., our products in general, and our overall challenges as a limited line manufacturer,” Dan Irvin, the company's director of corporate communications, told The Hill in an email.

“As a very small automaker, we are going to be a much bigger part of the alternate-fuel-vehicle market, with our 'Mitsubishi i' all electric vehicle going on sale late this year,” Irvin said. “So we thought this education effort was vitally important.”

K&L Gates has assigned several lobbyists with Hill experience to lobby on the Mitsubishi account, including former Rep. James Walsh (R-N.Y.) and Scott Aliferis, a onetime legislative director to Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. 

The value of the contract is not yet known, since lobbyists are not required to disclose fees on registrations. 

A trio of lawmakers pushed Thursday for Congress to place limits on the licenses given to teenage drivers.  Read more...